I had a microdiscectomy, which is a pretty non-invasive surgery. My L5-S1 disc (way down right above my tailbone) was severely herniated, pinching nerves to the point that I lost feeling and reflexes down my right leg and foot and causing some intense pain. They just cut in between my spine and my back muscle (being a deer butcherin' type I call it my backstrap), chisel out a little opening in one of my vertebrae for room to get in, cut out the bulged part of the disc to free the nerve, and then sew me up. The stitches were on the inside and they glued the cut on the surface so I don't even have any stitches. Pretty cool really.

rw